On the night of Tuesday 3 to Wednesday 4 September, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced that the launch of the latest satellite in the European Copernicus programme, Sentinel-2C, had been postponed. The satellite was due to be launched on a Vega rocket at 22:50 local time from Kourou in French Guiana (03:50 CEST).
“Due to electrical issues on the ground links #VV24 launch chronology was interrupted”, announced Arianespace, the operator of Vega, on X, adding that the Vega launcher and its passenger, Sentinel-2C, were in “stable and safe conditions”.
Once the checks have been completed, a new launch attempt is scheduled for the night of 4 to 5 September, still at 22:50 local time from Kourou.
This will be Vega’s last launch before handing over to Vega C, which is scheduled to return to flight by the end of 2024.
The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission provides high-resolution optical images for a wide range of applications, including monitoring land, water bodies and the atmosphere. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)